When some friends of mine moved recently, they were eager to get rid of as much as they could to avoid having to pack it and move it. They had a giant bag full of corks they had saved, and asked me if I wanted them. I was eager to add them to my own cork collection and vowed to actually use them for a project. As luck would have it, I set them on a shelf next to a plain old wooden basket and inspiration struck. I could cover that boring basket with corks and make a charming and creative new picnic basket! If you can operate a hot glue gun, you can do it too.

When choosing your basket, pick something with smooth sides that's very plain and ordinary (so that you won't feel bad about covering it). I chose a pretty standard wood basket that I picked up at a farmer's market, full of veggies. It is very lightweight but sturdy. This basket worked well because the sides are flat and smooth, it has a nice wide opening and the handle is wide and flat. It also helped that the corners were slightly rounded.

You'll also need glue gun and a LOT of hot glue. If you want to line the basket, you'll need some fabric and ribbon.

The first thing I did was to cover the top edge of my basket. It was very thin and rather ugly, and I wanted to cover it with a nice row of corks. A round cork isn't going to stick to a thin edge, though, so I used a utility knife to cut a groove out of the cork.

After dry fitting each piece to be sure it fit, I squirted some hot glue into the groove and put it in place.

I added corks all along the top edge, hold each in place a few seconds until the glue dried. Soon I had a border that looked so much better than before!

Note that I cut the corner corks at a bit of an angle to get a better fit and more streamlined look.

With the top edge finished, I started applying more corks to the side. I started right under the completed edge row, and used a liberal amount of hot glue so that the corks had plenty of sticking power.

Then I continued gluing corks to the side, row by row, until it was covered. I also glued a row of corks along the handle to finish that off.

I decided to cover the bottom with cork sheets to match the theme.

To make the basket even prettier, I lined it with some red and white gingham fabric. I just sewed the corners up to make a rectangular lining that fit my basket, secured the bottom of the lining in place with a dab of glue in each corner, then liberally applied glue around the top edge, securing the cut end of the lining to the basket.

I then used some red grosgrain ribbon (again, applied with hot glue) to cover the edge of the fabric, making sure that the ribbon was right next to the corks. I also glue some ribbon to the underside and sides of the handle, to cover up that last bit of exposed wood.

I'm so in love with how this came out! It's perfect for a display in a rustic farmhouse setting, and also makes an incredibly charming picnic basket for a romantic evening.

This cork-covered basket technique could be applied to lots of different styles of baskets, and has many potential uses:

• Cover small baskets with corks and use them to hold flower arrangements for table centerpieces at a vineyard wedding reception.
• Fill a cork-covered basket with wine, cheese, and bread and give it as a housewarming gift for a wine-loving friend.
• Use it to hold wine tags, charms, and notecards when you're hosting a wine tasting in your home.
• Decorate your kitchen with a cork-covered basket that can hold your fruit, veggies, keys, or change.

How to find bulk wine corks

If you're having a tough time finding enough corks to make this project, here are some ideas for where to find them:

• Ask managers at local restaurants or bars - Restaurants go through plenty of wine in a day, so ask nicely and they'll probably be more than happy to save some for you. This is a great way to get a wide variety of corks, too.
• Visit local wineries or tasting shops - Depending on where you live, you might have several wineries in your area. If they offer tasting parties to visitors, they'll go through a lot of wine corks and would probably be glad to save them for you for a fun project.
• Believe it or not, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are great resources for corks. According to a good friend of mine, they drink a lot of wine there!